Finance Bill Climax Looms

By

Jonathan Weisman And

Damian Paletta

Updated April 20, 2010 12:01 a.m. ET

President Barack Obama used a Manhattan speech to urge top banking executives to back his sweeping overhaul of financial-market rules, while in Washington the bill gained steam as cracks in the Republican opposition improved its prospects in Congress.

Two years after a campaign speech at Cooper Union that spelled out his vision for Wall Street, Mr. Obama pressed his case to an audience that included wary finance executives. The president's call for their cooperation lacked the sharpness of his recent barbs and references...